I am pro-life. I am pro-choice.
Let me tell you up front, that this is less of a political post than a social one. I am not Republican nor Democrat. But I am a World-Visionary.
The discussions happening all over social media make me think about how we interact with each other and what kind of society we are creating.
We argue about the legalization of abortion or if it should be illegal. We care about where our tax money goes. Fair enough. But I believe we have to take a totally different look at this issue.
I've gone through three miscarriage. I know what it means to lose your precious child and therefore I would personally not abort but what do I know. I haven't had to be at this point of making that decision. I have a strong social support system. I can carry a child knowing that we'll be taken care of financially. Most women who stand before such a drastic decision are hurting. Judgement from us will not change that. It will add more pain and degrading feelings. They will continue to suffer in silence, and in silence will they take care of the "problem". We never had a chance to intervene nor offer our help because they didn't know that there was help available.
In professional coaching we are being taught to "meet people where they are at" but we want to close down the place and the emotional, mental and social space where we can meet. I am crying because I can see these women feeling hopeless, overwhelmed and in panic. Nobody is here to support them - because nobody took the time to listen. Nobody.
Because it wasn't visible that she was pregnant we assumed everything is alright. Instead we voice our opinion loudly enough that it plays like a broken record through her head. It won't stop and the devastation increases.
No, we have a responsibility here, too. We can't just point the finger at laws and candidates. We are closing the door for them to be comfortable enough to voice their feelings and thoughts.
No, we as a society have to finally step up and take responsibility. We all have to admit that we keep running around like crazy and miss half of the conversation we could have had today - me included. We are doing a poor job at making us all feel safe - emotionally, mentally, financially and socially.
We know at our core what is right and just. Jesus taught us well. We choose to look away anyways. No law about legalizing abortion or making it illegal takes away our responsibility for each other.
Do we really want to decrease abortion, or do we just scream out of principle?
If we want to save lives, we need to keep the doors open to the place and space that allows us to meet them where they are at - emotionally, mentally and socially.
I get the point about financing and the misuse of tax dollars. It certainly is upsetting. However, Jesus told his disciples to give to Caesar what belongs to him (Mark 12:17) and give to God what belongs to God. We are driven by fear, by injustice, but do we trust that God will provide beyond that? Listen, what Caesar does with his money doesn't come even close to what God is capable of.
The one thing I know though is that when we, as a society, become more caring and actually seeing each other without judgement, the financial part will be part of a positive ripple effect, as well.
Something else that is important to mention when it comes to pro-life: If we think climate change is a hoax and the environmental issues don't need much attention, we are not pro-life. In that case we are pro-birth. We have to understand that we are all connected. We, and everything around us, are part of ONE body. When the Earth is out of balance, we ALL are.
If we believe, that it's ok to have our food poison by Monsanto, we are not pro-life. If we believe that fracking doesn't have much of an impact on the stability of this Earth and doesn't poison our ground water, we are not pro-life. If we believe that it's ok to put our water resources in danger by putting some pipelines in the middle of a river, we are not pro-life. If we are ok with vaccinating our child knowing cells of aborted babies are part of it, we are not pro-life. (Side note: I am not against vaccines, when there are regulations that are safe.) There is so much more to be said. But in general, none of those issues can be looked at separately. In this case, it is about your life, about the life of future generations, the life of this unborn child we try to defend so hard. But many of us don't even care.
In Genesis God tells us to take care of His creation. Everything on this Earth is life and should be treated and cried out for as we cry out for those unborn children. We can't just pick and choose what's the most convenient.
If we are pro-life, let's be pro-life - but fully and unconditionally - not only pro-birth.
Sincerely,
Me